Quintette asks writers five quick questions. This week’s interview is with:
Jack Byrne
1. What’s the name of your latest book – and how hard was it to pick a title?
This book is the sequel to The Billabong and I stuck with the Australian theme and called it Walkabout. The manuscript pottered along without a name for quite a while, and I was starting to worry what I should call it. Then a friend read the rough draft and commented that he didn’t expect Jim to be the type of person to go walkabout with Mark. As soon as he said the word I knew I had the title for my book. Walkabout is an Australian term meaning to take a journey (originally on foot) over some weeks or months with no particular destination in mind. Originally it referred to Australian Aboriginals who did it in order to live in the traditional nomadic manner.
2. If you could choose anyone from any time period, who would you cast as the leads in your latest book?
I always have to have my main characters clearly in mind before I start writing, so it’s funny you should ask this. I see Jim as a Chris Hemsworth type, and for Mark I visualize Mark Lenard (1950’s actor) or maybe Benedict Cumberbatch – tall and rangy with dark curly hair.
3. What five words best describe your story?
Romantic, Australian, nomadic, horsemen, stockmen.
4. Who is your favourite fictional couple?
That’s almost impossible to answer…. being m/m romance, there are not as many couples out there to choose from (as there would be for a m/f romance). So, I tend to look to unusual m/m couples you might find in fanfiction (Tumblr etc) for example Thor and Loki, House and Wilson, Spock and Kirk…. the classics. 🙂
5. What song always makes you cry?
Er… people cry about songs? That’s embarrassing, I did not know that. Um, the only one that makes me really sad every time I hear it is Only the Good Die Young for reasons which I guess don’t need explaining.
About Walkabout
- It is late 1876, New South Wales, Australia. Cattleman Jim Kelly rides away from everything he knows and loves to follow Mark Turner into the harsh outback. They stay away from the law and eke out a living from the savage, dry wilderness, all the while falling deeper and deeper in love. But how do you build a long-term relationship when you don’t even know whether you will both survive the next day? And can Mark stay on the straight and narrow, or will his explosive temper and quick fists put them both in more danger than ever?
About Jack Byrne
Jack Byrne is Australian and has spent most of his life riding horses in the Australian bush. He writes short stories and novels for Dreamspinner Press.
Buy Walkabout
- Walkabout (Dreamspinner)
Buy The Billabong
- The Billabong (Dreamspinner)
- The Billabong (Amazon)
Would you like to answer a Quintette interview? Email me at nmharrisheart@gmail.com!